Kathmandu: Curfew was imposed in certain areas of Nepal’s capital Kathmandu on Friday as two people died and 45 others were injured in violent clashes between security personnel and pro-monarchy protesters. The protestors were calling for the restoration of the abolished monarchy in Nepal.
The District Administration Office in Kathmandu imposed curfew in the Baneshwor-Tinkune and surrounding areas after pro-monarchy forces destroyed and set ablaze private homes, shops, media houses, political party offices, and government property, several media reports cited.
A protester injured in the demonstration was pronounced dead upon arrival at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital. Similarly, a journalist died after protesters set ablaze a building in Tinkune.
Tension ran high in Tinkune after people tried to break through the security barricade. In response, security personnel fired tear gas canisters to disperse the protesters. Later, the police opened fire to take the situation under control,” Nepali news outlet Annapurna Express reported.
The country’s leading newspaper, The Kathmandu Post, cited human rights activists as saying that both Nepal Police and Armed Police Force personnel, as well as protesters, have sustained injuries. Some of the injured are receiving treatment at Kantipur Hospital in Tinkune.
Speaking to the Post, Deputy Inspector General of Police Dinesh Kumar Acharya, spokesperson for Nepal Police, said that dozens of buildings and vehicles were set ablaze during the protest.
Social media footage showed protesters seizing police firearms and launching violent attacks. Reports indicated that the protest was led by the Nawaraj Subedi-led joint movement committee, with businessman Durga Prasai mobilising supporters.
Nepal’s Ministry of Home Affairs issued a stern warning to those involved in violent protests on Friday, stressing that they will be held accountable for their crimes.
Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli also called an emergency meeting of the Council of Ministers after the Joint People’s Movement Committee, formed to restore the monarchy, engaged in violence.
(IANS)
